Sidewalk banking apparatus



Sept. 1, 1959 c. D. ELLITHORP 2,902,114

sIDEwALK BANKING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 16, 1951 2 sheets-sheer 1 ATT RNEYS Sept 1, 1959 c. b. ELLITHORPE 2,902,114

' SIDEWALK BANKING APPARATUS munuluuwlv" IN V ENT 0R.

(7b/'ence @Mikal/'0e AT EYS United States Patent-- SIDEWALK BAN-KING APPARATUS f 'Clarence 1D. fEliitho'rpe, Milford, Conn., assigner, :by

mesne assignments, to The Mosler Safe Company, Hamilton, Ohio, a lcorporation of :New York banking apparatus and more particularly to new mechanisms nfor controlling a service door for an opening 4through which articles -are transferred inthe use of Sidewalk banking apparatus is used to carry out ltransactions between a customer at the sidewalk level outside a 'bank building or other Vbusiness structure, for

example, a pedestrian or the occupant of an automobile parked at the street curb, and a -person servicing the apparatus from within the confines of the building. In known types -of -this apparatus a closed panel of a wall or stand at`the sidewalk has a service door within convenient reach 'ofthe customer, which may be opened for access to 'a -receiver'through which deposits, receipts or vth'e'r'a'rticles caribe-transferred between the customer the attendant.

The operation of this-service door has been subject heretofore to Aobjectionable interference by persons outside fh'e apparatus. Further, the door mechanisms used have lacked desired features of safety and have vbeen 'vulnerable totam'pe'ring or vandalism.

'attending the apparatus from within the connes of 4"the 'bank or other building.

-Amore specific object is Vto yprovide such an apparatus wherebyV the positions of 'the service door "are yautomatically controlled in coordination with movements of van "article cr'rier to 'and 'fr'om Va` position to receive `rticl`es`throughthe door opening.

Another objec't 'of 'fh'e 'invention is 'to-.provide'a service door 'operating'm'echanis'm which utilizes a driven means 'to openfthe 'service'do'r and which positively .prevents movement'of'the'doorfrorn 'elos'edposition by anything 'but 'the' driven means.

Another' (object 'of the 'invention -is to` provide yiii-such :Still another object Tof the invention is lto .provide a sidewalk 'banking apparatus having a 4service -do`or normally prven'tin'g'access "from outside'the apparatus to `an Aarticle 'r'ecive'r 'within 'the apparatus, which in openposition not only gives `a'ccess to'the article receiver but also serves as a convenient deal tray or work table 4--a sidewalk from a -station \ina iroomlbeneath lthe 'sidewalk; v

fil-iig. 2 is afront view of an upper portion of the stand shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation taken along "line 3-'3 of Fig. 1, showing the door mechanism and 5 showing Aan article carrier poistioned behind the door Opening;

Figi 4 is an enlarged 'fragmentary vertical crosssectio'n .of 'the door 'in 'cl'o'sed position, showing in side elevation parts ofthe 'door mechanism and its driving 1lffig. 5 'shows 'parts of the structure of Fig. 4 'in the position which they occupy vwhen the service door is Open;

Fi'g. 6 is ah elementary 'wiring diagram 'of la suitable 'circuit for controlling 'the 'operation of the door motor;

AFig. 7 is an enlarged 'side 'view 'of p'arts of the door loperating `and locking mechanism; and

l"Fig, 8 'is 'a cross-section 'taken along line 8-8 of Fig'7.

.As ','s'e'en in'Fig. 1 of 'the drawings, the illustrated 'embodiment "o'f a 'sidewalkbnking apparatus includes 'an 'elongated stand or kiosk 1t) disposed in an opening upw'a'rd adjacent the curb 1'6 'of street 18 from a -room 519:' beneath 'the "sidewalk, This room forms part of a lbatik "building or 'similar Lbusiness structure and is bounded by a' retaining wall Ztl'at one side of the street foundation.

l ['h e stand 10 'has "a 'front 'wall 24, top wall 25, Iback wall 26 and "si`d'e walls 2`8't'1`ri'd '30 interconnecting the Af`rorit"'an't l"b'a'ck walls. I t's lower end rests on suitable framework :32 'in ro'or'n`19, where a teller may be stationed'tocarryon'banking 'transactions with a customer 'atthe'sidewalk 354 Thefr'ont vwall 24 of the stand is provided with a sight V"window at 34, a service door 3'6 for article transfers, 'and suitable means (not'shown) for oral -communicaitions 'between a customer 'and the teller. The -window '434 is 'formed by a generally tubular v'member 38 which 40 projects inward from wall 24 and supports across its linnerend a transparent bullet-'resistant glass panel 40 tinthe `cu'stomers line"of "sight'to a downwardly "facing "mirror '44 within'thest'andl AWithin'r'oorn "19 the lower portion lofthe standhas its b'a'k wall 26 cut away to form -an opening 42 'at the Veye 'level -of an attendant, l:a'nd anu'pwardly facing 'mirror 46 behind this opening provides, 'with thevertically aligned 'parallel mirror 44, a rn'eanslofi-visualcommunication between theattendant lfand anyone in Lfront 'of 'the stand.

The service or varticle transfer 'door 36 normally `1c'l0s'es"^an :opening '418 in wall 24, 'through which a custor'rier`may transfer varticles into and 'from a receiver 'behind this wall. The article receiver in this embodi- -ment iis a movable carrier 50, 'resembling an elevator c'ar',which iis arranged totr'avel 'between an elevated -position"at-opening C48 and a lowered position where the 'c'r'rier is accessible to an attendant 'through an fpeni'ng'SZ inthe lower'part of the stand structure.

VIlh'ecarrier 50 is ksuspe'ndedas'a part of one flight of 50 an endless chain 54 which 'extends-'below the carrier to pass-around asprocketwheel 56 on the-shaft 58 of-a reversiblee'lectric driving motor'60. Above the carrier, Lvchain'f4 passes over a pair of idler sprocket wheels. One i'dler isproeket, at-62, ris disposed directly above opening -iS-iso a`s*to"guidethe"carrier into a 'position opposite this 'openinggthe othe'r'idler'sprocket (not shown) is disposed 'to-one side of idler'62 and keeps'th'e' return ilghtof chain 'Sil-"ifrmfinterferingwith the'c'arrie'r movements. `It will -be evident 'that-operation of the'motor'60 in'one direction.

'1lifts`fcarrier50 toits elevated position,'whilereverse opieration ofthe motor'lowers'the carrier'to ya position .op-

. lpositelopening 52. The carrierposition't anytime is determined by the attendant in room 19 through control of a switch y61 in the reversible motor circuit.

The service door 36 is pivotally mounted at its lower edge on an axis at pin 68, about which the door may swing outward and downward to a horizontal open position in which it serves as a convenient table or deal tray for articles to be handled by a customer. The inner side of the door may be dished as at 67 to enhance its usefulness as a deal tray when in open position.

The positions and movement of door 36 are governed by a door operating and locking mechanism generally indicated at 70. The operation of this mechanism is subject at all times to the control of the authorized attendant, and in the embodiment shown this mechanism is rendered operative to move the service door only in coordination with movements of the article carrier 50 to and away from its accessible position behind the door opening 48.

To these ends, an electric driving motor 72, as here used to drive the door mechanism, is energized through a circuit which includes a main switch MS (Fig. 6) having a handle 74 (Fig. l) accessible to the attendant in room 19, and this circuit also includes two limit switches LS1 and LS2 connected in series in one side of the motor circuit. These two limit switches have arms 76 and 78, respectively, arranged to be actuated by suitable cams '7 7 and 79, as hereinafter described in detail, in such manner that they initiate a door opening operation when the carrier 50 is moved into its elevated position, and such that the door mechanism closes the door when the carrier is moved away from its elevated position.

The door motor 72 is supported by bracket 82 on the inside of stand wall 24, with the motor shaft (not shown) extending upwardly in driving relation to a suitable speed reducing worm gear drive in a gear housing 84. A shaft 86 driven at low speed extends from the reduction gear housing and constitutes a mounting and driving element for a disc assembly generally indicated at 88, which embodies principal elements of the door operating mechanism. This assembly has an eccentric pivotal connection at 91 with one end of a rigid link or rod 90, the other end of which is pivotally connected at 92 to the inner end of a door quadrant 94 which is xed at its outer end to the door 36.

At one operative position of the apparatus, as seen in Fig. 4, the eccentric connection at 91 lies at a side of shaft 86 away from the door quadrant connection at 92, with the door 36 in closed position and with pivots 91 and 92 substantially on a line through the axis of shaft 86. Accordingly, a force applied to the door cannot open it as long as the mechanism is so positioned, for the resulting force on link 90 acts directly against and is absorbed by the axially xed disc assembly. On the other hand, a rotation of eccentric pivot 91 about the axis of the disc assembly produces an upward thrust on door quadrant 94 to move the service door 36 away from its closed position, and after a half revolution of pivot 91 the apparatus takes the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. In that position the service door extends forward from wall 24 substantially horizontally, and the quadrant-link connection at 92 is again aligned with pivot 91 and the axis at 86, in such manner that a force applied to the door itself cannot change its position but is absorbed by the disc assembly.

The rotation of pivot 91 from one to the other of the described positions is effected in this embodiment by rotating the disc assembly 88 through shaft 86, motor 72 and the speed reduction gear train interconnecting these parts. The described positions may be obtained automatically in successive half-revolution of the disc assembly, in the manner hereinafter described. It will beevident now, however, that if the disc assembly unyieldingly joins the link end at 91 with the driving shaft 86, the door 36 will be opened and closed under the full power of the driving elements; and if the door movement in such case is obstructed, such as by striking an obstacle as it opens or closes, or by catching the nger or hand of a customer as it closes, either the door mechanism or the obstruction is likely to be damaged.

According to a further feature of the invention, this problem is overcome by constructing the disc assembly with relatively rotatable driven elements, one connected in fixed relation to the driving elements and another connected in fixed relation to the link pivot 91, and interconnecting these driven elements through torque limiting means which yield to allow them to turn independently whenever the torque load on the assembly exceeds a predetermined desired limit.

To this end, the disc assembly comprises two discs 102 and 104 carried in face-to-face relation on a common stepped head or hub 106 keyed to shaft 86; disc 102 being fixed to a nut 108 which in turn is screwed and locked by a set screw 101 onto a threaded lower step 103 of head 106, and disc 104 being freely mounted for relative rotation on an upper step of the driven head. An end flange of the head at 109 and a washer or shim 110 between it and disc 104 confines this disc against movement away from disc 102. Disc 104 carries at a xed peripheral location the pivot pin 91 for link 90. This disc, however, has a positive driving connection with the driving elements only when a yieldable clutch interconnecting the two discs is in a normal operative position.

The yieldable clutch as shown is a ball clutch comprising two balls 112l movable laterally in sockets 114 which extend through disc 102 at opposite sides of its axis. The balls normally project from the inner face 113 of disc 102 into two aligned recesses 116 in the adjacent face 115 of disc 104. The balls are held yieldably in that normal position by leaf springs 118 which are xed at one end to the outer face of disc 102, near the mounting nut 108, and which have free ends overlying the outer ends of the ball sockets 114.

It results that discs 102 and 104 are interconnected for rotation in unison as long as the balls stay engaged in the aligned recesses, but whenever excessive torque load develops in the disc assembly the balls are thrust laterally against the tension of the leaf springs and either disc then may rotate independently of the other until the balls and recesses have become realigned. The torque load effective to disengage the ball clutch depends upon the strength of the leaf springs and can be adjusted by adjusting or changing these springs.

When the service door 36 is fully open or fully closed a force applied through it to link 90 and pivot 91 has no tendency to disengage the ball clutch, for the force is then absorbed at shaft 86. As the door moves to open or to close, however, link 90 lies at one side or the other of the shaft axis, and a suicient force or obstruction applied through the door will then disengage the yieldable clutch. The clutch having been disengaged, the door can be moved easily to closed position by hand as the balls 112 roll over the inner face of disc 104. The clutch becomes reengaged whenever the balls are realigned with their respective recesses 116.

As seen in Fig. 8, one of the clutch balls works at a greater radius than the other from the taxis of the disc assembly, so that the discs 102 and 104 must have a certain orientation and a certain position relative to pivot 91 whenever the clutch is operative. v

An automatic control of the desired positions of the disc assembly and pivot 91 is obtained as follows:

Cam 79 is an arcuate cam which is fixed to the periphery of disc 102 in position to depress the operating arm 78 of limit switch LS2 through half of the path of rotation of the disc assembly. In the arrangement shown, this cam extends counterclockwise about disc 102 over an arc of from a point normally adjacent the axis of pin 91, and the driving elements for the disc assembly rotate it in a clockwise direction. Switch LS2 is so located at the bottom of the disc assembly that it is held depressed by the cam while the door 36 either is closed an operating mechanism within the housing controlling positions of the door and comprising a plurality of relatively rotatable elements forming a rotary assembly, means mounting said assembly for rotation on a fixed axis, reciprocable means interconnecting said door and one of said elements and having pivotal connection with the latter so as to be reciprocated by its rotation, driving means connected with another of said elements for rotating the assembly, and yieldable clutch means normally interconnecting said elements for rotation in unison but operative to disconnect them for free relative movement whenever the torque on said assembly exceeds a predetermined value.

5. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like including a housing structure providing a customer station on the outside thereof and a station on the inside thereof for a teller or the like, said structure having a wall portion formed at said customers station with an opening for the transfer of articles by a customer into and from a depository within said housing and a door mounted for movements from and to a position closing said opening, an operating mechanism within the housing controlling positions of the door and comprising a rotary driven assembly, means mounting said assembly for rotation about a fixed axis, reciprocable means having a pivotal connection with a part connected to said door and with an eccentric part of said assembly so as to be reciprocated by rotation of the latter, said assembly and said reciprocable means having successive door opening and door closing phases of movement in each revolution of said assembly, and driving means connected with said assembly for rotating it to open and close the door, said pivotal connections lying approximately in line with the axis of said assembly at the end of said phases of movement so that the door is immovable from its closed and fully open positions by force exerted only on the door.

6. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like including a housing structure providing a customer station on the outside thereof and a station on the inside thereof for a teller or the like, said structure having an upright Wall portion formed at said customers station with an opening for the transfer of articles by a customer into and from a depository within the housing and a service door mounted to swing outwardly and downwardly from a vertical position closing said opening to a substantially horizontal position in which it exposes the opening to render the depository accessible from the outer side of the housing and serves as a tray for articles handled by the customers, a door operating mechanism within the housing connected -with said door comprising, a rotary disc assembly including relatively rotatable discs held in tface-to-face relation and ball clutch means yieldably interconnecting said discs for rotation thereof in unison yet disengageable by a predetermined torque to permit relative rotation thereof, a rigid link connected pivotally at one end to a part of the inside of said door and at the other end to an eccentric part of one of said discs, a shaft supporting said assembly for rotation on a fixed axis and connected in xed relation to another of said discs, said door moving open in one half revolution of said assembly and moving closed in another half revolution thereof, and power operated rotary driving means connected with said shaft.

7. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like including a housing structure providing a customer station on the outside thereof and a station on the inside thereof for a teller or the like, said structure having an upright Wall portion formed at said customers station with an opening for the transfer of articles by a customer into and from a depository within the housing and a service door mounted to swing outwardly and downwardly from a vertical position closing said opening to a substantially horizontal position in which it exposes the opening to render the depository accessible from the outer side of the housing and serves as a tray for articles handled by the customers, adoor operating mechanism connected with said door comprising, a rotary disc assembly including relatively rotatable discs held in face-to-face relation and ball clutch means yieldably interconnecting said discs for rotation thereof in unison yet disengageable by a predetermined torque to permit relative rotation thereof, a rigid link connected pivotally at 'one end to a part of the inside of said door and at the other end to an eccentric part of one of said discs, a shaft supporting said assembly for rotation on a xed axis and connected in xed relation to another of said discs, said door moving open in one half revolution of said assembly and moving closed in another half revolution thereof, and power operated rotary driving means connected with said shaft, the pivotal connections of said link and said shaft being substantially aligned at the limits of movement of said door so that the door is immovable from its closed and fully open positions b-y force exerted only on the door.

8. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like including a housing structure providing a customer station and a separate station for a teller or the like and respective means between said stations for effecting visual and oral communications and for transferring articles between a customer and an attendant at said stations, said structure having a wall portion formed at said customers station with an opening for article transfers and a door mounted thereon for movements from and to a position closing said opening, a door operating mechanism within the housing and having successive door opening and door closing phases of movement, power-operated means for driving said mechanism, said article transfer means comprising an article carrier movable to and from said opening under the control of an attendant at said tcllers station, and control means for energizing and deenergizing said driving means including means operated by movement of said carrier for energizing said driving means, and also including an element carried by a part of said mechanism and operative at the end of each of said phases of its movement to deenergize said driving means.

9. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like including a housing structure providing a customer station and a separate station for a teller or the like and respective means between said stations for effecting visual and oral communications and for transferring articles between a customer and an attendant at said stations, said structure having a wall portion formed at said customers station with an opening for article transfers and a door mounted thereon for movements from and to a position closing said opening, a door operating mechanism within said housing and comprising a rotary driven assembly, means mounting said assembly for rotation about a iixed axis, link means having a pivotal connection with a part on said door and with an eccentric part of said assembly, said assembly and said link means having successive door opening and door closing phases of movement in each revolution of said assembly, power-operated driving means connected with said assembly for rotating it to open and close the door, said article transfer means comprising an article receiver and means controlled by an attendant at said tellers station for moving the receiver to and away from said opening, control means including separate shiftable elements connected in tandem to energize said driving means, each of said elements having alternate working positions, means operated by movement of said article receiver to hold one of said elements at one of its working positions when said receiver is at said opening and to hold the same at the other of its working positions when said receiver is away from said opening, and means carried by a part of said assembly for shifting another of said elements from one to the other of its working positions at the end of each of said phases of movement so as to deenergize said driving means.

10. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like inrcludling a housing Structure providing a customer station and a separate station for a teller or the like and respective means between said stations for effecting visual and oral communications and for transferring articles between a customer and an attendant at said stati-ons, said structure having a Wall portion formed at said customers station with an opening for article transfers and a service door mounted thereon for swinging movements from and to a position closing said opening, a door operating mechanism within said housing and comprising a rotary disc assembly including relatively rotatable discs held in faceto-face relationl and clutch means yieldably interconnecting said discs for rotation thereof in unison yet disengageable by a predetermined torque to permit relative rotation thereof, a rigid link connected pivotally at one end with said door and at the other end to an eccentric part of one of said discs, a shaft supportin-g said assembly for rotation on a Xed axis and connected in iixed relation to another of said discs, said do-or moving open in one half revolution of said assembly and moving closed in another half revolution thereof, power-operated rotary driving means connected with said shaft, said article transfer means comprising an article receiver controlled by an attendant at said tellers station and movable between a position behind said opening and a position accessible to said attendant, control means including a first switch adjacent said opening having alternate working positions for energizing with said driving means, said switch being shiftable by said article receiver to one working position as the receiver is moved to said opening and to another Working position as the receiver is moved away from said opening, another switch adjacent said disc assembly having alternate working positions and connected with said iirst switch for energizing said driving means, and a semi-circular cam carried by the other of said discs for shifting the position of said other switch after each half revolution of said assembly so as to deenergize said driving means.

11. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like including a housing structure providing a customer station and a separate station for a teller or the like and respective means ybetween said stations for effecting visual and oral communications and for transferring articles between a customer and an attendant at said stations, said structure having a Wall portion formed at said customers station with an opening for article transfers and a service door mounted thereon for swinging movements from and to a position closing said opening, a door operating mechanism within said housing connected With said door cornprising a rotary disc assembly including relatively rotatable discs held in face-to-face relation and ball clutch means yielda'bly interconnecting said discs for rotation thereof in unison yet disengageable by a predetermined torque to permit relative rotation thereof, a rigid link connected pivotally at one end to a part on said door and at the other end to an eccentric part of one of said discs, a shaft supporting said assembly for rotation on a fixed axis and connected in fixed relation to another of said discs, said door moving open in one half revolution of said assembly and moving closed in another half revolution thereof, power operated rotary driving means connected with said shaft, the pivotal connections of said link and said shaft being substantially aligned at the limits of movement of said door so that the door is immovable from its closed and fully open positions by force exerted only on the door, said article transfer means comprising an article carrier movable to and from said opening under the control of an attendant at said tellers station, and control means for energizing and deenergizing said driving means including a switch adjacent said disc assembly having alternate working positions, a. semicircular cam carried by said other disc for changing the position of said switch after each half revolution of said assembly, and another switch moved to alternate working 10 positions in response to movement of said carrier to and from said opening.

12. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like, including a closed stand to extend upward from a sidewalk or like surface and having an upright wall bordering a customers station on the outside of the stand, and stand depository means including a door at an opening in said wall mounted for movement from and to a position closing said opening and an article carrier movable, under the control of an attendant servicing the apparatus from a remote station, between a position behind the opening and a Iposition accessible to the attendant at such remote station, a motor and motor driven mechanism within the stand and connected with said door to move it between open and closed positions, and control means operative in response to movement of the carrier to and from said position behind the opening to make connections with said motor rendering it operative to move the door to open and closed positions, respectively.

13. In a sidewalk lbanking apparatus as claimed in claim 12, said motor driven mechanism including releasable elements operative to interrupt the drive therethrough upon the striking of an obstruction by the door.

14. In a sidewalk banking apparatus or the like, including a closed stand to extend upward from a sidewalk or like surface and having an upright wall bordering a customers station on the outside of the stand, and stand depository means including a door at an opening in said wall pivotally mounted to swing from a substantially vertical position elo-sing the opening to a substantially horizontal position in which said door exposes said opening and forms a deal tray for articles handled by the customer, an article carrier movable, under the control of an attendant servicing the apparatus from a remote station, between a position behind the opening and a position accessible to the attendant at such remote station, a motor and motor driven mechanism connected with said door for moving it between its positions aforesaid, and control mechanism responsive to movement of the carrier to and from said position behind the opening to make connections with said motor rendering it operative to move the door to open and closed positions, respectively, said motor driven mechanism including elements operative when the door is in closed position as to hold the door locked against movement Iby a force applied only to the door, said mechanism also including releasable elements operative to interrupt the drive therethrough upon the striking of an obstruction -by the door.

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